The Road to Mandalay (XXV)

About

The Road to Mandalay was reworked for XXV with a new orchestral arrangement by Jules Buckley. Originally the companion to Eternity on the 2001 double A-side single from Sing When You’re Winning, the song’s dark pop narrative about escapism and consequence gains new depth in this symphonic version.

The tempo is slowed, giving the melody a reflective, cinematic quality. Strings and woodwinds replace the pulsing rhythm of the original, while brass and timpani highlight its shifting moods. Williams’s vocal, recorded two decades after the first release, carries a quieter intensity, replacing youthful urgency with gravity and regret. The orchestral build towards the chorus accentuates the song’s sense of restlessness and longing.

Williams said he wrote The Road to Mandalay in Paris during his early sobriety, and this new rendition mirrors that transition, evoking serenity alongside unease. The lush instrumental bridge, newly expanded for XXV, turns the track into an elegy rather than an anthem, revealing the introspection beneath its original pop form.

“Mandalay sounds completely different to the original, and I think the result is epic.”Robbie Williams

Richly cinematic, The Road to Mandalay stands among the most striking reinterpretations on XXV. By slowing its pace and deepening its textures, Williams and Buckley transform a pop single into a sweeping piece of musical storytelling.